In association with Advance HE’s Framework for Embedding Employability in Higher Education, Fiona Naumann, Associate Dean Education at Southern Cross University in Australia, shares her institution’s approach to embedding employability across curriculum, ensuring a scaffolded approach to building students’ employability skills.

How can a university transform teaching and learning to make a lasting, positive impact on student employability? 

At Southern Cross University (SCU), the institution took a bold move to transform the way it designed and delivered education to all students, known as the Southern Cross Model. The move to a six-week immersive block model delivery was underpinned by a pedagogy of focused, guided and active learning (Roche et al., 2024). This transformation provided an amazing opportunity for renewal and innovation which included embedding student employability. 

A program of employability 

The institutional transformation provided renewal opportunities for all courses in the Faculty of Health to purposely co-design a program of employability that commenced in first year and culminated in a capstone unit. All course teams met with the career and employability team to map teaching and learning opportunities that could actively assist students to develop their professional profiles, networks and employability profile – all of which are necessary for career success.  

The pillars of the SCU career development learning framework include professional identity, career self-management, connectedness and networking, and interprofessional practice. In order to reach the stage of graduate readiness, the learning framework was scaffolded across stages. 

Stage 1 (Explore) – guides students to reflect on themselves, their strengths, values and how they fit into their potential profession, pathways within the profession, career options and developing a connection to their peers and the profession. 

Stage 2 (Build) – encourages students to continue to explore career options, engage in career planning and management, complete additional training that can value-add to their career pathway, network and participate in work integrated learning experiences and develop key employability skills. 

Stage 3 (Action) – refines and consolidates their career vision through engaging in opportunities to gain additional experience, develop skills to support employability, extend professional networks and effectively articulate unique points of difference to prospective employers. 

Stage 4 (Extend) – offers comprehensive support for graduates via alumni connections, enhanced networking opportunities and ongoing learning opportunities by becoming a mentor or undertaking postgraduate studies.  

What is the student experience like?  

Students appreciate the guidance received across their learning journey. 

Early in their courses, feedback focused on possibilities and opportunity:  

“The career module gave me a better understanding of potential career opportunities, the various pathways open to us and where I might see myself in the future. It has made me think a little more broadly than when I first signed up to the course.” 

“The key learning for me was the importance of employability skills and ways to stand out from others upon graduation.” 

As the students progressed through their learning, their focus moved to graduate employability: 

“The module gave me confidence to put together my portfolio and gain confidence with applying for positions and interview practice.” 

“As an International student, this discipline helped me understand Australian systems and recruitment processes in diverse types of companies. The tutorial’s interview techniques and practices were beneficial and equipped me with useful tools to perform a real interview.” 

“The content was so relevant and helpful and it was nice to do such a practical subject that will really help with our careers, especially in the next few months when we graduate. The team worked really well between the teaching team and the careers team.” 

What does Programmatic Assessment mean for employability? 

In one word, opportunity!  

At SCU, Programmatic Assessment has been defined as “a consciously designed systematic program of assessment in which the outcomes of purposefully selected assessment tasks are collated and combined to obtain triangulated information about a student’s progress.”

It involves carefully designed assessment tasks that are intentionally chosen and connected, allowing educators to gather well-rounded, evidence-based insights into how students are developing over time. Employability needs have a presence as an integrated part of the assessment journey, which is tracked, supported and continuously refined throughout the student experience. 

What would we recommend to other institutions? 

At Southern Cross University we have learned that successfully embedding employability into higher education takes more than good intentions – it takes institutional strategy, collaboration and a whole-of-course mindset.  

Here’s what we recommend to other institutions looking to make employability a meaningful part of the student journey: 

1. Take a whole-of-course approach

Embedding employability across all curricula ensures maximum reach to all students in a course.  

2. Rethink assessment with employability in mind

Programmatic Assessment offers a powerful way to track and support the development of employability competencies, providing students with a clearer sense of how learning connects to their future careers while supporting retention and graduate success. 

3. Foster strong partnerships between Careers and Faculty

Collaboration is key. When Careers and Employability teams work closely with academic staff, it leads to more relevant, discipline-specific content that resonates with students and enhances their career readiness. 

4. Empowering students to shape their own career

Ultimately, the goal is to put students in the driver’s seat. Provide tools, support and opportunities that help them build and refine awareness and take proactive steps toward their professional goals. 

Professor Fiona Naumann is the Associate Dean, Education within the Faculty of Health and Chair of the Accreditation Committee at Southern Cross University. Fiona worked closely with the Senior Manager of Careers and Employability, Leanne Baker and her team to codesign an employability program for every course. Fiona also partnered with Dr Liz Goode, from the Academic Portfolio Office, to support the Faculty of Health through the whole-of-institution transformation to the Southern Cross Model.